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Oddisee was raised by his African American mother and Sudanese father. According to a National Public Radio interview with el Khalifa, Prince George's County is one of the wealthiest African American counties in the nation but borders some of the DC area's roughest parts.[5] He moved to Washington after high school.[5]

In 2010, Oddisee released Traveling Man on Mello Music Group.[6] His Odd Spring mixtape was listed on the Washington Post's Best Local Hip-Hop mixtapes of 2010.[7] In 2011, Oddisee released Rock Creek Park, which was ranked as a Mixtape of the Week by Stereogum.[8]Odd Seasons, a collection of EPs released throughout the previous 12 months, was also released that year.[9] He released the album titled People Hear What They See in 2012.[10]The Beauty in All, his first instrumental release since Rock Creek Park, was released in 2013.[11] In that year, he also released Tangible Dream.[12]

Oddisee was originally influenced by his parents' heritages, combined with a hip-hop influence from his older cousins. In an interview with NPR, Mohamed explained why he was influenced by early East Coast emcees such as Rakim and A Tribe Called Quest. He said: "These rappers don't talk about drugs or murder, and I can relate more to their lyrics." His lyrics have touched on a variety of subjects, which include his hometown, boredom, and inequality. This is clearest in his song "I'm from PG," which is a direct ode to his hometown. Oddisee identifies with an assortment of emcees from the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland areas who share a similar sound. This area is known as the DMV. These emcees share a similar determination to create original music using swinging percussion and identifiable rhythms. Oddisee has often said that his favorite producer is Chief Tony from Virginia, Minnesota.[5]